News
FUW launches account executive academy
Specialist agricultural insurance broker FUW Insurance Services has launched an internal account executive academy with six participants from its offices across Wales.
Two fraudsters ordered to pay back £376,000 after ghost broking scam
A court has granted confiscation orders against two men who were convicted for their roles in a car insurance ghost broking scheme.
Gallagher deal for AssuredPartners delayed by request for more information
Broking giant Arthur J. Gallagher now expects to complete the acquisition of AssuredPartners in the second half of 2025, after it received a request from the US antitrust agency for additional information.
Brown & Brown buys Edinburgh-based MGA
Brown & Brown Europe has bought niche construction sector property and complex liability programmes specialist Premier Commercial.
FCA finds ineffective monitoring of outcomes for vulnerable customers
The Financial Conduct Authority has reported ineffective outcomes-monitoring for vulnerable customers by financial services firms, with some businesses lacking clarity on what good looks like, and failing to have clear measurements.
Martyn Beauchamp named FSCS CEO
Martyn Beauchamp has been appointed CEO of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, having held the role on an interim basis since October 2023.
People Moves: 3 – 7 March 2025
Keep up to date with the latest insurance industry personnel moves.
Granite to roll out broker portals and enhanced trading platform
Acorn’s Granite Underwriting will launch broker portals in the next few months as one part of an ongoing group investment in technology with Acturis-owned ICE, Insurance Age can reveal.
Aviva launches enhanced CCI offering, creating dedicated team
Aviva has made enhancements to its digital commercial combined insurance (CCI) proposition, in response to broker feedback that it can be challenging to place more complex risks online.
Social media ghost broking frauds doubled in 2024
Action Fraud received 179 reports of social media car insurance scams in 2024, double as many as the year before.
Admiral CEO warns of ‘uncertain’ 2025 after Ogden boosted UK profit
Admiral saw its UK profit rise by 64% to £977m in its 2024 results, with the insurance group attributing 17% to the change in the Ogden personal injury discount which improved to 0.5% last year.
Open GI parent reports loss in run-up to Ares investment
OM Bidco, Open GI’s parent company, has reported a loss after tax of £30.13m for the year to 31 May 2024, the final full financial year before Ares Management’s takeover and an improvement on a loss of £38.48m in 2023.
McCarron Coates appoints first AR
Leeds-based McCarron Coates has added its first appointed representative with start-up broker Kentaro but flagged it has no plans to build an AR network.
Home insurance premiums fall for third consecutive month
Home insurance premiums fell by 1.3% in February 2025, a third consecutive monthly drop, according to Pearson Ham’s general insurance price index.
Car and motorcycle insurance complaints to FOS drift up
The Financial Ombudsman Service received 3660 complaints about car and motorcycle insurance between October and December last year, up slightly from 3386 in the previous quarter.
SRG starts 2025 buys with schemes broker
Specialist Risk Group has bought schemes specialist Brentacre Insurance in its first UK broker deal of the year.
Beazley posts record profit as premium tops $6bn
Beazley has reported insurance written premiums jumped 10% to $6.16bn (£4.84bn) for the year ended 31 December 2024.
Aviva-bound DLG swings back to operating profit but customer count falls
Direct Line Group has reported an operating profit of £205m for 2024, more than reversing a £189.9m loss the year before.
Aviva gives e-trade brokers commission flex up to 35%
Aviva has written to brokers that use its own e-trading platform Fast Trade – as well as Acturis E-Trade – telling them they can set their own commission rates within set parameters, Insurance Age has learned.
FCA bans broker whose fraud caused client to fail and go into liquidation
The Financial Conduct Authority has banned David Robert Cooke, previously a director at Professional Construction Risks Limited, from working in all regulated activity after he received a police conditional caution for an insurance fraud that led to the…
Markel appoints Nicola Cunliffe to drive broker trading
Markel has named Nicola Cunliffe as head of trading in the UK, with responsibility for brokers’ experience when dealing with the insurer.